Liverpool have had their fair share of problems regarding players not performing consistently and one person guilty of that has been Emre Can. The German was not a Klopp signing but enjoyed a decent first season under the former Borussia Dortmund manager.
Can has scored three Premier League goals this season but has not been able to build on his performances from last season. The 23-year-old has been locked in contract negotiations as his deal with the club ends in 18 months but that too has hit a hurdle.
It is being reported that Can and his agent are demanding a weekly wage of £100,000, which certainly is above the valuation Liverpool would have for one of their squad players.
Klopp had spoken that he would be looking to add more quality to his side and one player who could be brought in to replace Can is Naby Keita of RB Leipzig and according to the Mirror he is a big admirer of the midfielder.
Can has been linked with a move to Italian Serie A champions Juventus and a bid of around £25 million could be enough to seal the deal for the German to leave Anfield.
Keita has been impressive for Leipzig, who have been the surprise package of the Bundesliga. The 22-year-old Guinea midfielder has scored four goals and provided seven assists in 21 appearances in the German top division.
His best outlet seems to be playing in a deeper role and he could be compared a bit to N’Golo Kante though it does seem his offensive output is much higher than the current Chelsea star.
Bringing Keita from Leipzig would not be an easy task for any club, especially given how great they have been doing in the league. It does seem a certainty that they will play in the Champions League next season, barring a terrible collapse come the end of the season.
Liverpool haven’t been all that great this term even after a great start to the season. The Reds were judged to be one of the front runners for the title but their challenge has faded away and now they are fighting for a top four spot.
Should Klopp’s team make it to the Champions League next season, they would be able to attract top talent from all across the world and even though Keita isn’t the biggest name, he certainly would add a lot of quality to the heart of the Liverpool midfield.
